DART submits streetcar plan to feds

Dallas Area Rapid Transit says it as submitted plans to the federal government updating Dallas’ proposed Oak Cliff streetcar line, linking downtown to the namesake neighborhood that, driven by citizen advocacy, has spearheaded the project.

The submitted route, with minor modifications from earlier proposals, will link Dallas Union Station with Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff.

Construction could begin by next March, with service beginning as soon as December of 2013, according to DART spokesman Morgan Lyons. DART has been retained by the city to develop the project, Lyons has told Railway Age.

Streetcars would serve four stops and would run every 20 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes otherwise. The trip would take less than seven minutes each way. Hours of operation would be from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., but no evening or weekend service would be offered.